Rodents are never a wanted sight in your home. Rats in particular can be pretty nasty, spreading diseases such as leptospirosis and rat bite fever. Plus, they can do a lot of damage to your home or business in a short amount of time. Here’s how you can prevent rat infestations. Having a Boise exterminator provide regular treatments is key.
Seal Your Home
Close all holes and gaps found along the exterior of your home, especially around doors, windows, and vents. Silicone caulking is the best material for this job.
Eliminate Outdoor Access
Trim overhanging trees that can give rodents a free ride onto your roof. Another benefit of keeping vegetation trimmed is that it eliminates hiding spots for rodents and other critters as they hide from predators.
Clean Up the Yard
Remove piles of clutter, debris, and garbage from around the yard. If you want to plant shrubs and bushes, make sure you do so at least three feet away from your home, as they can harbor rats and mice.
Remove Outdoor Food Sources
Rodents love gardens and fruit trees. If you own fruit trees, pick up dropped fruit from the ground on a regular basis to remove this food course. Keep your trees pruned so rodents don’t hide in them. Keep your garden free of rotting food and hiding places. You can also spray predator urine (i.e., fox) around the garden’s perimeter as a deterrent. This comes in both liquid and powder form, and it can be found at your local garden store.
Build a Wall
Build a two-foot-wide barrier of crushed rock or cement as a rodent deterrent so they don’t infiltrate areas close to your home or garden.
Practice Cleanliness
If rats can’t detect food, they won’t try to get into your home. Do not leave food out on your counters, and secure pet and human food in airtight contains. Keep garbage cans tightly closed and take out the trash every night.
Try Mint
Rats and mice hate the scent of mint. Plant some in your garden and try rubbing peppermint oil indoors on attic beams and other areas where rodents have been a problem in the past. You can even leave some dried mint leaves lying around.
Get a Cat
Cats are great at keeping rats out of your yard and home. Even if your cat doesn’t actively hunt the rats, their scent alone will scare them off.
Be Proactive
If you don’t have the time, patience, or materials to deter rats from your property, hire a McCall exterminator to provide long-term proactive maintenance.
Contact Eco Pest Control
Rats are a year-round problem in Boise, Meridian, Cascade, and surrounding areas. This means diligent and regular pest control is needed to maintain a rodent-free home. For your free quote, contact us at 208-600-8734 and our Boise exterminators will visit your home for an inspection.
